Smell: Really unimpressive in this area, although I remember it smelling better on tap (currently rating the bottle). Some banana and generally funkiness (yeast)

Taste: Banana (dominant but not as strong as in some hefes), lemon, vanilla, and I guess clove (others have helped me find that). Really good, but not the best.

Mouthfeel: Nice and creamy. Well carbonated.

Overall: This is one of the best, but I argue not the best, hefeweizens out there. However, the relatively low price (under $3 for a pint+ bottle) scores bonus points with me. Additional bonus points awarded in the "overall" category for this brewery's long (we're talking several centuries) of excellence. (784 characters)

Had this on tap at Coal's. Color was a darker, deeper orange-yellow than I am used to for a Hefe, but it was very appealing. Taste and aroma werent particularly compelling, slight banana favor, not a ton else. Mouthfeel was more abrasive than I'm accustomed to for the genre. Maybe a touch overrated. (300 characters)

Appearance: Golden and hazy with a frothy white foam head. Aroma: typical banana dominance with a bit of clove. Taste: Light, bready malt with a pleasant clove spice. Mouthfeel: medium (on the lighter side of the style) with a moderate carbonation. Finish: clean and balanced with some lingering clove spice and no noticeable hop bitterness. (341 characters)

I call this beer the Paiste of Hefe-Weisse beers. If there are any drummers out there, you know that two of the most popular cymbals are Zildjian and Paiste. Both cymbals are in my opinion the best. Zildjian is the cymbal that most jazz players would use, maybe a little more academic of a cymbal, more savory than a Zildjian. Paiste is a bright very precise sounding cymbal. Zildjian to me is the Paulaner Hefe or Weihenstephaner, and Paiste is the Franziskaner Hefe - arguably the best beer in the world. (507 characters)

500ml bottle into a conical pint glass. Paid £1.79 for a single bottle.

Pours a cloudy, golden orange coloured body with a lighter yellow glow around the edge. Tons of minute carbonation bubbles stream up from the bottom of the glass. A two-finger in height, thick, foamy, white head with excellent retention leaves lots of dense lacing.

On the nose there are mild aromas of bready wheat, fruity yeast, citrus peel and slight banana. The taste is similar to the nose with a smooth, creamy, doughy wheat base, but more banana upfront than the scent implied. More fruity notes follow with a little orange and lemon to give a delicious tangy, refreshing, finish that lingers on the palate for a long time. Light to Medium bodied it has a thin but creamy and slightly chewy mouth-feel, the only negative being that there is a little too much carbonation.

Overall this is a great beer, delicious and easy drinking, excellent value for money and readily available, it’s my go-to Hefeweizen. (993 characters)

A very good Hefe-Weisse. I would rank it second out of ones I've tried after the Konig-Ludwig. It has a medium body, a pleasant smell and a well rounded flavor with a slightly tangy aftertaste. (193 characters)

My other favorite beer of all time (I can have more than one!), I have loved Franziskaner for years. It was one of the first imports I tried after drinking mostly Pabst and domestic stuff during my teen party years. (215 characters)

I've had many German Hefe's and while not the BEST it's about as good as it gets in the US. Not like most American canoe beer that is "kinda like having sex in a canoe, it's pretty close to water" (the American beer that is) This is welcome reminder of what beer is supposed to taste like ;) (291 characters)

Hazy golden orange color. Fluffy white half inch head, good retention and lacing. The aroma was banana, clove and light bubblegum. The flavor was big banana and clove and just a nice hint of orange, with a nice sweet malt backbone. The mouthfeel was medium bodied with a nice clean and refreshing finish. Definitely a top notch Hefeweizen. (339 characters)

On tap, poured into a shaker. The aroma is a bright, creamy banana and vanilla with undertones of clove and a light bread crust. The beer is a murky, unfiltered, orange yellow color with a dense white fluff head that has a moderate retention and only a touch of lace (of course a shaker isn't really the appropriate glass). The taste is a medium, savory sweet with a light lemon bitter. The creamy beer goes down smooth with a fizzy light body that has a strong Nila wafer flavor with a clove finish as well as some bread. The aftertaste is mild, but long, and cloying with a light bitterness and bread crust feel. (614 characters)

Franziskaner is my favorite hefeweizen and perhaps my favorite beer period. I've had other top-notch hefes like Weihenstephaner and Sierra Nevada, and nothing beats a cold Franzi on tap.

Franziskaner is simply one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. It has a cloudy orange-yellow look to it which is typical of most wheat beers. The smell is mostly banana and breadiness with a hint of almost shortbread cookie sweetness underlying this. The taste of Franziskaner is where it really excels. This beer is remarkably smooth and drinkable. Banana, vanilla, and light orange peel blend together into one of the most velvety sips of beer I've ever had. Definitely better on tap. (687 characters)

16.9 oz bottle. Cloudy, opaque, yellow-orange with a creamy white head. Grainy wheat malt in the aroma mixed with banana. Not much clove at all. Vanilla and bubblegum in the flavor. Thin on the palate, yet medium bodied. Overall, it's a little too fruity and thin for me. Not one of my favorites German hefeweizens but not a bad option either. (343 characters)

Mouthfeel: Light medium body; Goes down smooth and crisp, and is very refreshing as a hefe should be.

Overall: I use to dislike wheat beers, but i have develped a fondness for a good weizen during the spring and summer months. This style is likely the first beer ill be drinking for the evening to refresh me after a hard days work. This is a solid authentic german weizen, but its a little too heavy on the bubblegum to be a favorite. There are a few others id pick before this, including Weihenstephan and Paulaner. (741 characters)

L:-pours a cloudy deep golden with a medium,frothy,white head-medium to high carbonation visibleS:-banana,clove,white bread,earthy,slight creamT:-Follows the noseF:-medium body,high carbonationO:Absolute Classic in the Style (234 characters)

Aroma: Bread and yeast with hints of estery banana and phenolic cloves.

Taste: Follows the nose, with a bit more banana flavour on the forefront balanced by big wheat flavour. Some citrus notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium body which lightly coats the mouth and throat, with plenty of carbonation. Very drinkable.

Overall: This was my second European wheat ale (after Hoegaarden witbier) and it still holds up great. Very impressive brew with good balance of bready yeasts and fruit flavours. This one is always a pleasurable experience. (688 characters)

Not a bad hefe at all but a little too much carbonation and not enough banana flavor to get a flawless score from me. I would definately drink it again but I think I like Sierra Nevada kellerweis better and even hoffbrau. (221 characters)